


Disappointment or Love

by musicals_musicals



Category: Bandstand - Oberacker/Oberacker & Taylor
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Blind Date, Dissing the U. S. Postal System, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Flashbacks, Flowers, Grocery Shopping, Have I mentioned the lack of editing?, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Language of Flowers, Maybe - Freeform, Multi, Mutual Pining, No final read throughs we die like idiots who cant edit, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Swearing, Unedited Because I'm Lazy, hopefully
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-08-03 20:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16332512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicals_musicals/pseuds/musicals_musicals
Summary: "Everyone will tell you that red roses signify love. Ignore them, they're wrong. Carnations are better. Depending on the colors they all mean different kinds of love"It's been twenty years since his aunt first taught him about carnations. At the time she told him that they could mean different kinds of love. But after war and a year spent as a prisoner of war Nick knows that's not true. Yellow carnations mean disdain, rejection, and disappointment, and so far Nick's life has been a yellow carnation. Until, Wayne Wright stumbles into his store.





	1. First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to chapter one! In my head this is going to be around ten-twelveish chapters, with plenty of pining, arguments, and fluff.

_“Everyone will tell you that red roses signify love. Ignore them, they're wrong” Nick’s aunt guided his unsteady five year old hands to help him cut off the flower stems. “Carnations are better. Depending on the colors they all mean different kinds of love” Aunt Azalea pointed to each color “Red is just love, any type of love you can think of. You use them when you want to show someone you adore them. Pink is family love, I sell hundreds of these before mother’s day. White means pure love”_

_“How is that any different from the red one?” Nick poked the flower, as though it would reveal the difference._

_“You'll find out when you're older” Azalea said, ignoring Nick's pouting and pushing the flowers towards his side of the counter “Can you put these in the vase?”_

_“Yes” Nick carefully put the cut carnations into a vase that was already filled halfway with water. The counter was so high, he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach it._

_“Carnations are the best way to show love-” Aunt Azalea was cut off by the bell on the door ringing. She shooed Nick behind the counter and put the vase of carnations on the ground next to him, before smoothing out her brightly colored hair “How can I help you?”_

_Nick ignored his aunt’s discussion with her customer and instead examined the flowers. He didn’t understand how something as small as a flower could mean love. Why not just say love normally? And why did the colors have to be different? Wasn’t there only one kind of love?_

_“-Let me show you our selection-” Azalea moved out from behind the counter and led the man to a new part of the store._

_Nick took the chance to climb up onto the old stool next to the register. He crawled up and sat down so he was looking over the store. He loved this view, all his friends talked about dreams of being an astronaut or the president, but Nick would be perfectly happy if he could stay here forever_

Nick had to say, of all the weird costumes he’d seen people wear to his shop. The full grown woman in a ladybug raincoat and matching rain boots, was definitely a first.

“Excuse me are you still open?” She took off her hood and stood in the doorway dripping water.

“Yes” Nick pointed to the sign that he couldn’t read, but knew by heart. They were open until six and it was only 5:50.

“Perfect” The woman’s entire body relaxed and she took off the raincoat to leave it on the hooks by the door.

“What can I help you with?” Nick put on his best customer service smile and tried to look like he wasn’t examining the woman’s outfit. Her skirt was probably homemade judging by the pattern (You didn’t see rainbow hearts in most stores and the stitching was uneven enough that it had to be handmade)

“I want to buy flowers for my wife” The woman explained. 

“Is there a specific kind you're looking for” Nick asked, already compiling and list of possible flowers.

“No, but her favorite color is purple” She smiled lovingly at the thought.

“Any special occasion?” Nick asked while he pulled flowers one by one out of the shelf.

“My wife is coming back from Afghanistan” The woman fiddled with her wedding ring “I really miss her”

Nick froze a little before carefully relaxing “I'm glad she's coming back” The woman nodded and Nick couldn't help but wonder what it was like to know someone was waiting for you. When he got back from the war, the only person waiting for him was Aunt Azalea.

“That looks beautiful! Thank you so much!” While Nick had been lost in thought, he had finished the bouquet. It was a mix of purple flowers, with a couple of white daisies to even out the color. “-How much do I owe you?”

“Twenty percent off” Nick decided “Veteran discount”

The woman paid and said thank you three more times, before rushing out the door. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was two minutes until closing. Nick started across the shop to lock up when a winded blond man skidded to a stop in front of the shop.

“Are you still open?” Nick gave the man a once over, taking note of the trombone case he was carrying and how his gelled hair was tousled adorably.

“Come on in” Nick walked backwards and leaned against the counter. “What can I help you with?”

“Oh, I need to buy flowers” The man explained “My friend said to come here”

A blush was slowly rising up his cheeks and Nick thought it looked adorable “What’s your name?”

“Wayne” He awkwardly held out his hand. It seemed like everything he did was awkward.

“I’m Nick, what color flowers do you want” Nick asked. He turned around to reach under the counter and pull out a pair of scissors, which he opened and closed a couple of times.

“I think red?” Wayne guessed “She really likes tulips”

“Who’s the lucky lady?” There was reason Nick didn’t flirt with very many customers, for one thing it was unprofessional and he didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, but mostly it was because people only really bought flowers for romantic things (Except for Mother's Day)

“My daughter” Wayne smiled a little before backing up and spewing out more information than he meant to “My wife and I have been divorced since about a year after I got back from serving, so I only see my kids for special occasions. It’s her dance recital”

Wayne talked so fast that Nick needed a second to process everything he said. He now felt stupid for not realized the adorable, blushing mess standing in front of him served, it was obvious in the way Wayne stood and dressed. Also the fact that he said he was divorced hopefully meant he was encouraging flirting. “I hope it goes well”

“She’s really happy” Wayne clearly loved his daughter. His eyes lit up when Nick handed him the bouquet. “She’ll love it”

“I’m glad” Nick wandered back to the register and Wayne followed closely behind. Nick realized that he'd left the scissors on a shelf and knowing that he would forget them there if he didn't grab them soon, he spun around quickly. Wayne clearly wasn't expecting it, as he walked right into Nick's chest. Their eyes met and Wayne jumped away.

“Sorry I should have- sorry” If possible Wayne turned an even brighter red, he fumbled with his pockets until he pulled out money. “Here”

“Thanks, I hope your daughter's recital goes well” Nick took the money and absently put it into the cash register, not bothering to sort it. He’s the only one who ever uses the register anyway.

Wayne smiled a little “Thanks” On his way out the door he turned around as though he was going to say something, but decided against it.

It wasn't until Wayne had walked out of sight that Nick realized he probably should have asked him out...

...It probably would have been a no anyway.

Nick locked the front door and turned off all the lights. Julia was going to freak out when he told her about what happened. It wasn't until he was half a block away that he realized that the scissors were still on that shelf.


	2. A Show and Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wayne goes to his daughters recital to give her the flowers he picked out. Then he stops by Jimmy's apartment where Jimmy tries to convince him that he should ask the cute boy on a date (It doesn't really work)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are on chapter two and I've already deviated from my initial plans

Wayne loved playing trombone, but sometimes he had to wonder if it was too much of a time commitment. Here he was running down main street because the flower shop Jimmy told him to go to that closes at 6:00 and if Jimmy finds out he didn’t make it he’s going to be pissed and Wayne won't have any flowers.

Emily’s recital was starting in an hour and he knew he couldn’t miss the beginning, she had talked for hours about it when he saw her on Saturday. The opening number was supposedly the best.

The next wrench in his plan came when he got to the store. He hadn’t been expecting the owner of the shop to be cute and young. Weren’t old ladies the ones who ran flower shops? And then the guy was flirting with him. A phenomenon that Wayne wasn’t opposed to, but he definitely wasn’t expecting.

As Wayne ran out of the flower shop clutching his bouquet he could help but wonder if he should’ve asked for Nick’s number.

\-----

Emily was amazing. For a five year old her form was great and she managed to stay on beat the whole time, unlike a couple of her friends she danced with. “I brought you a present”

Emily’s eyes lit up “What is it?”

“I got you flowers” Wayne pulled the flowers out from behind his back and handed them to Emily when she reached for them. She held them up to her nose and breathed in dramatically before pulling back and sneezing. “Careful”

“I love them” Emily hugged Wayne quickly before rattling off a bunch of different flowers.

“That’s a good gift” While Wayne had been watching Emily celebrate, Maggie had appeared at his shoulder. She was holding Grady on her hip and had prominent bags under her eyes, but Wayne could admit that she looked happier than she ever did when they were married.

“Thanks” Wayne waved at Grady with a smile. He glanced at the clock on the wall and jumped when he realized how late it was. “I need to go”

“That’s fine” Maggie waved at Emily “Give your father a hug goodbye”

Emily paused her listing of flowers to launch herself at Wayne for a hug “Thank you! Thank you!”

“No problem Em, I’ll see you next week” As much as Wayne wanted to stay and enjoy Emily’s semi-celebration. He’d promised to stop by Jimmy’s house

\----

“Why didn’t you tell me the guy working at the shop was cute?” Wayne complained, collapsing on Jimmy’s couch.

“Because you wouldn’t have gone” Jimmy said without looking up from his book.

“Wait you knew?” Wayne had been asking hypothetically and was expecting Jimmy to have no idea what he was talking about.

“Yeah, it was Nick right? He owns the place” Jimmy explained, he threw his book on the ground in order to look Wayne in the eye “I think you two would be good together”

“Shut up” Wayne chucked the closest pillow at Jimmy “I don’t need a boyfriend right now”

“I beg to differ” Jimmy threw the pillow back “You seem lonely”

“I am not lonely!” Wayne objected. He had Jimmy and he saw his kids on weekends.

“Excluding me and people you are related to, have you spent any time socializing in the past year” Jimmy asked reasonably.

Wayne was getting annoyed by the all knowing tone Jimmy’s voice carried, but when he thought about it he drew a blank. “No” Wayne muttered

“Did you at least get NIck’s phone number, because I am not giving it to you” Jimmy was done waiting for Wayne to start dating again. He’d been divorced for almost a year and a half, it was time.

“Of course not” Wayne had maybe considered it, but it wasn’t going to happen “I’m not going to date him” 

“Keep telling yourself that” Jimmy rolled his eyes.

“Can we talk about anything else?” Wayne was done talking about his non-existent love life. He didn’t need to be dating someone in order to be happy.

“I have one last question before I let this go” Jimmy requested. Wayne nodded, knowing Jimmy was going to ask anyway “You at least like him right?”

Wayne considered Jimmy’s question. Did he actually have a crush on Nick? Or did he just think he was cute? “I think I like him”

“Fantastic” Jimmy rolled off the couch “Do you want food?”

“Yes” Wayne was not above stealing Jimmy's food, especially considering that Jimmy did the same thing whenever he came over. They were roommates for two years and even though they no longer live together, old habits are hard to shake. “Where are your roommates?”

“Johnny is at physical therapy and I have no clue where Davy is” There were clanking noises as Jimmy moved things around in the fridge.

Wayne rolled his eyes a little and opened the cupboard where snack foods were kept. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on in this apartment, any combination of relationships could be possible and he never bothered to ask. “When are they getting back?”

Jimmy pulled his head out of the fridge, with four different things balanced in his hands. "Johnny should be due home right now, and I'm sure Davy will probably follow soon”

Wayne grabbed a second bag of chips to account for more people. “I'll go unlock the door” Wayne had a habit of locking doors after walking through them so the apartment door was locked. He dropped the chips on the table and listened to Jimmy talk.

“I think I'm going to make spaghetti” Jimmy grabbed pans with a crash and lit the burner. “I assume you're staying for dinner”

“As long as I'm welcome” Wayne was always a little worried Jimmy would get annoyed if he spent too much time at his friends house, even though Jimmy had told him otherwise multiple times.

“If you set the table you can live here” Jimmy gestured to the dishes side of the kitchen with his unopened box of spaghetti noodles.

“That low a bar huh” Wayne carefully pulled out bowls stacked neatly and set the appropriate silverware in the bowl. He went to work on the table carefully putting down the bowls, and putting the forks on the left side on top of one napkin.

“That’s what a set table is supposed to look like?” Davy had snuck in the door at some point and was suddenly standing right behind Wayne “No wonder, Jimmy's always telling me I'm bad at it”

"You just leave everything in the middle of the table" Jimmy seemed less shocked than Wayne, he hadn't even turned around when Davy started talking. "That doesn't count"

"Matter of opinion" Davy teased

"How was your day?" Wayne asked. He reached out and straightened a fork that Davy had bumped.

“Average” Davy went to stand behind Jimmy so he could see the stove “Spaghetti?”

“Yep” Jimmy leaned back against Davy’s chest “Wayne is staying for dinner”

“Cool” Davy was distracted by the door opening. Johnny walked in, taking the time to hang his coat on the hook before walking across the living room.

“Hi Wayne” Johnny went to join Jimmy at the stove.

“Hi Johnny” Wayne couldn’t help the stab of sadness that went through his body when he looked at his friends leaning together by the stove. Maybe he did want to be in a relationship more than he thought.

“Dinner is ready and Wayne set the table, so let’s eat” Jimmy dumped the noodles and the sauce into a bowl that he dropped onto the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comment and leave kudos if you want the next chapter sooner because that is a sure-fire way to get me to write faster. Also on tumblr @musicals-musicals


	3. The Novitski-Adams-Trojan Apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through a bit of unfair phone conversation Donny convinces Nick to come over for dinner in an attempt to lighten up the apartment. Michael hasn't sent a letter in a couple off weeks and it has sent Julia (and Donny) in to a constant state of worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is much later than I was hoping it would be. In honor of Bandstand being in theaters recently and the newcomers to the fandom.

“Julia wants you to come to dinner tonight” Donny said over the phone.

Nick had his phone tucked between his shoulder and his ear while he cleaned the final aspects of the shop in order to close. “When?” He knew better than to try to get out of one of Julia's dinner invites. He might as well get all the details.

There were faint noises from the other side of the line. “She doesn't care, as long as it's before six”

Nick wiped off the counter and tossed the rag in the sink “I can just head over right now” Clean up had gone faster than usual, most likely due to the extra rush of energy from talking to Wayne. If he hadn't been working there was a good chance that Nick would've asked for his number, but he had a rule to never ask people out while he was working.

“Great I'll let her know” Donny went silent for a second “Also Julia wants to set you up on a blind date” the line immediately went dead and Nick was left staring at his phone in shock.

“Novitski you coward” Nick glared at the phone. Julia had been dropping hints about setting Nick up with someone, but he didn't think she'd actually do it. He was never going to let Donny hear the end of this.

\-----

Donny watched Julia nervously. She had been frantically moving throughout the house all day. “Jules are you okay?” Donny cautiously rested his hand on her shoulder and she relaxed for the first time all day.

“I’m fine Donny” Julia an a nervous hand through her hair “I’m just worried about Michael”

“Oh,” That did explain her nervous actions. Michael was due to write them two days ago, just because his usual letter was late didn’t mean anything (The US postal service was far from perfect), but it always put Julia on edge. Donny couldn’t blame her. “Come sit down”

“I know he’s fine, but ever since last time…” Julia trailed off gesturing helplessly. The last time Michael missed multiple letters it was because he and Donny got caught in an explosion. They were fine, but even a year later Julia could never shake the residual anxiety when there was a late letter.

“I'm sure there will be a letter tomorrow” Donny hugged Julia tightly “Do you want me to finish dinner?”

“No, I want to stay busy until Nick gets here” Julia shook off Donny's arms three herself back into her cooking and cleaning. As long as she kept a busy mind, she would be fine.

\-----

Nick didn't even bother knocking, instead he just threw himself on the Novitski-Adams-Trojan couch with a sigh.

Donny didn't even acknowledge him, too busy string worriedly at the kitchen doorway. “Michael didn't send a letter”

That explained the tension Nick had picked up on when he entered the apartment. “Are you sure? It might've gotten lost in the mail”

“I hope so” Donny shook off his worry “How was your day?”

“Pretty good” Nick smiled remembering his last customer “I had a lady come in to buy flowers for her wife and she was wearing a ladybug raincoat”

“Was she wearing matching rain boots?” Donny asked “And that skirt with the rainbow hearts on it”

“Yes?”

“That’s Jojo she lives next door” Donny explained “Julia sometimes goes over to her apartment” Julia walked into the living room right as Donny said her name.

“What?” Julia tilted her head in a gesture that strongly reminded Nick of a cat

“Jojo stopped by the shop” Donny told Julia, taking her hand to pull her down next to him on the couch.

“I’m glad!” The worried cloud that had surrounded Julia for the past couple of days dispersed slightly “I told her to go to your store. I like to recommend you to anyone who asks”

“Julia you don’t have to do that” Nick sighed and rolled his eyes a little.

“I know” Julia looked Nick in the eye in a look as though she was saying _I remember when you sat in my living room at midnight freaking out because you thought you were going to have to sell the one thing your cherished family member left you because you aren't getting enough customers to support a business._

Nick looked away and let the subject drop. Julia didn’t need to remind him, he was reminded enough by the panic that always came when he opened bills and read the profit estimate. “Thank you”

Julia nodded a little, content with his answer.

“Oh something else happened today” Nick figured he might as well tell Donny and Julia, maybe they could give him some advice. “TherewasacuteguyandIdidn’tgethisnumberwhichInowregret”

“What?”

“Cute guy you say?”

“Yeah,” Nick smiled “And I mean really cute”

“Aww, Nick has a crush” Julia pulled Donny closer “I feel like a proud parent”

“What’s his name?” Donny asked “I could probably find him on social media”

“Uh, no” Something about Wayne made Nick not want to be creepy and invasive into his social media. He also was not telling Donny the name, because then Donny would do it himself. “I don’t know his name”

“Ooh a mystery” Julia wiggled her fingers ominously “I love a good mystery”

“Julia the last time we watched a mystery movie you spent the whole time hiding under a blanket with…” Donny trailed off when he realized that he had accidentally brought the subject back to Michael.

“Right” Julia’s worried fog had made a reappearance. Julia stood up and brushed off her skirt nervously “I should get back to the-”

“Julia”

“-kitchen” Julia ran out of the living room and Donny collapsed on the couch.

“I feel so useless” Donny muttered angrily “She shouldn’t have to go through this a second time. She’s so worried and I don’t even blame her” Donny stood up and started pacing restlessly, “I get why Michael went back, and like it’s his choice, but god Julia has been so worried all week. You know she didn’t sleep last night? She was so worried she spent the whole night writing”

“A busy mind keeps the ghosts away” Nick said softly, unable to tear his eyes from the door Julia had gone through.

“I was talking to Ms. Adams last night and she said it was the same as last time. Us missing letters was the only warning Julia had for the accident” Donny’s pacing was getting more and more frantic, to the point that Nick was worried.

“Calm down Donny” Nick softly put his hand on his friends shoulder, he felt a bit proud when Donny didn’t flinch away and instead leaned into the touch. “Julia come over here” Julia’s head popped out from behind the doorway and Nick waved her into the room “Michael is either okay, or he’s not. You two worrying will make no difference. So please Julia sleep, and Donny calm down”

“You’re right” Julia sighed “Sorry guys”

“Sorry” Donny leaned against Julia a little bit.

“You don’t have to be sorry, just try not to run yourselves into the ground” Nick pulled them into a hug “Now when will dinner be ready? I want to tell you why you shouldn’t try to set me up on a blind date”

“It’s not that bad of an idea” Julia laughed

Nick rolled his eyes “I’m unconvinced”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While writing this I figure out that the reason I usually only write one-shots is because exposition is really hard to write.  
> The next chapter is either going to be back at the flower shop (maybe we'll get some more background on Nick and his aunt) or it's going to primarily revolve around Jimmy, Johnny, and Davy. Who knows? Not me.


	4. Boyfriends Plural

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick gets an unexpected costumer

_ Nick was five years old again. He was sitting on Aunt Azalea’s lap while she read to him from her flower book. It was a large text book with writing in the margins from where Azalea had taken notes. It had large colorful pictures of flowers that were accompanied with information about either of them. _

_ Azalea turned the page and Nick reached out to touch the picture. It was a tall flower with a poofy pink top that almost looked like the truffula trees in the lorax. “This is a Filipendula Rubra, also known as Queen of the prairie. It’s always been one of my favorites” She took Nick’s hand and traced it up the crooked stem. “The flower part is soft, like cotton” She tickled Nick’s sides until he was giggling. _

_ “Have you touched one?” Nick traced the unfamiliar words under location. _

_ Azalea lowered her voice to a whisper “A couple times, they’re not native to ohio so I have to ship them in in order to sell them.” _

_ Nick nodded and went back to tracing the pink flowers on the page “Does it smell good?” _

_ “Like a lilac tree” Azalea read from the page “In many places where it is native, and places where it is alien as well, Queen of the Prairie is a threatened species. _ _. _ _ The typical habitat of Queen of the Prairie is wetland plant communities, particularly calcareous fens, although it is occasionally found in spring seeps and wet prairies. Populations are generally small and widely separated from one another as a result of the rarity and smallness of calcareous fens” _

_ As she got closer to the end of the page Nick’s eyes drifted closed and his head fell against Azalea’s shoulder.  _

It was a slow day. To be fair most days were slow when you ran a flower shop, but today was especially slow. The only customer Nick had gotten all day was a teenage boy who bought one rose, probably for a date. Nick was tempted to just close the store early and call it a day. It had been a couple of days since his dinner with Julia and Donny and he was starting to get anxious from the quiet that had been surrounding him for the past few days.

His apartment was nice, but it was always too quiet. The only thing that made it better was music and playing his trumpet. Nick wished he had actually tried to get a job involving music, but the only thing he could find after the war was a teaching job and he was not cut out to be a teacher.

_ DING! _

Nick practically fell on the floor, only managing to catch himself on the counter. His phone that he had been holding clattered to the ground and slip under the counter. “How can I help you?”

The man had short curly hair and was very tall. Nick subconsciously straightened up so he didn’t seem as short. The man seemed a bit distracted and carried a look that Nick had gotten very familiar with during his time in medical bays during the war.  The man spoke carefully as though he was worried the words would get mixed up “I want to get flowers for my boyfriends and one of them loves this shop”

Nick was struck with a sense of familiarity and did a double take of the man. Tall, boyfriends plural, and some kind of war related medical problem. “Are you Jimmy Campbell’s boyfriend?” Nick had met Jimmy a couple of times, mostly through Donny, but they had played a couple of gigs together before the war. “John?”

“Yes! Or well actually it’s Johnny” Johnny smiled and took a few steps towards the counter “He recommended this place to one of our friends and I remembered the name” Johnny said the words with a sense of pride and Nick was reminded that Jimmy’s boyfriend had difficulty remembering things.

“Who did he recommend?” Nick wondered. It had been a bit slow recently and he couldn’t remember anyone saying they got a recommendation (It was good to know why you were getting business, there was a reason Nick didn’t usually bother with fancy adds)

“Wayne needed flowers for a recital” Johnny explained, his eyes scanned the shop and the wall behind Nick making it seem like he wasn't actually paying attention even though he was.

“Of course” Nick tried not to let his excitement show on his face, he did  **not** have a crush on Wayne. Donny could fuck off. “What are you looking for flower wise?”

“I know their favorite colors” Johnny offered

“That works” Nick led Johnny through the shelves, pointing out the different flowers.

Johnny stopped “Sunflowers”

“What?” Nick stopped and looked at the shelf Johnny was watching

“Davy loves sunflowers” Johnny smiled a little in a way that made Nick think that their relationship was probably extremely cute and gross, just like Donny, Julia, and Michael “And Jimmy likes zinnias”

“Okay” Nick nodded already thinking about how he could put those together. “I can definitely work with that. If you wait at the counter I’ll be right there” Johnny wandered away and Nick started collecting everything from the shelves. Putting together bouquets was Nick’s favorite part of the job. It was relaxing to look at colors and the petal shapes and think about how they fit together. When he first got back from the war it was his only escape from the memories of death and pain. He gathered all the flowers and returned to the counter where Johnny watched closely  while he put it all together.

“That looks perfect” Johnny examined the bouquet when Nick handed it to him.

Johnny paid quickly, and thanked him again. “Say hi to Jimmy for me” Nick requested.

“Of course” Johnny promised.

Nick couldn’t help himself from thinking about Wayne again. Maybe he would come back to buy more flowers. Nick wanted to talk to him again (As friends of course) maybe his daughter would have another recital. The door opened again to reveal a middle aged woman. Nick shook himself out of his thoughts to properly greet her and remind himself that the day wasn't over yet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I know what's going to happen in the next chapter so hopefully it won't take as long. Thanks to my mom who knows about flowers and helped with this by answering my random questions. Also I think the flashbacks might become a regular occurrence in this fic because they're fun to write. Come talk to me on tumblr @musicals-musicals


	5. What Actually Makes a Vase a Vase?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny brings the flowers back to his boyfriends and Wayne takes a second visit to the flower shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what freaking happened? I was on top of this fic and then high school started and I suddenly have no time to write so this is really short. This is really short and writers block is kicking my ass so it might take a while for the next chapter to get written.

Johnny took his time walking home, careful not to hurt the flowers. He nodded at the desk guy in the apartment building and ran into Mrs. Irvings in the elevator.

"Those are nice flowers" She pushed the button for the eleventh floor "Is it a holiday?"

"No" Or at least Johnny didn't think it was a holiday "Just something nice"

"You have some lucky boys" Considering that Mrs. Irvings was eighty it was impressive how okay she was with sharing her hallway with a polyamorous gay couple, but she was happy to have them over for tea in the afternoons and Jimmy sometimes brought her dinner if they made enough food. "My husband used to bring me flowers every two weeks on Tuesday"

"That's sweet" Johnny held the flowers tightly while they watched the numbers climb "Was he a good husband"

"Absolutely" Mrs. Irvings nodded "It's wonderful to be married. My step-daughter sells engagement rings"

Even Johnny could pick up on that hinting "I'll let them know"

The elevator chimed and Mrs. Irvings turned to her apartment "I hear fall wedding are 'in' again"

"Thank you Mrs. Irvings" Johnny quietly opened the front door, taking care not to wrinkle the tissue paper wrapped around the flowers. He stopped to listen and was able to pick up Davy and Jimmy talking in the kitchen. He quietly shut the door and slipped off his shoes.

“-obably running late”

“I know I just worri-”

Johnny walked through the kitchen door and was greeted by Davy’s back. He was leaned against the back of one of the chairs talking to Jimmy who was doing something at the counter  (probably dishes) “I’m home” 

Davy jumped a little and turned around quickly “Johnny!”

“And I brought flowers” Johnny held up the bouquet that he had previously been hiding behind his back. 

“Oooh” Davy wrapped his arms around Johnny’s waist and pulled him into an hug, before leaning in to smell the bundle of flowers. “Are there sunflowers here? Sorry Jimmy I’m going to marry him now”

Jimmy ducked under Johnny’s arm to join the hug and look at the flowers “Zinnias!”

“Yep” Johnny carefully dropped the bouquet on the table so he could properly appreciate his boyfriends hug without holding his arm out uncomfortably in order to not crush flowers.

“I’ll find a vase” Davy offered, he pushed himself away, but let his hand drift along Johnny’s arm in a way that always made Johnny feel warm.

“How was your day?” Johnny reached out and adjusted Jimmy’s glasses where they’d gone crooked.

“Law school continues to be kicking my ass” Jimmy complained, he gestured at the textbook that.

“I could help you study” Johnny offered “I know I’m not the smartest–”

“That would be amazing” Jimmy interrupted, he smiled and kissed Johnny on the cheek “Thank you”

“So it turns out we do not have a vase” Davy walked into the kitchen with something behind his back and smirked in the way he always did when he was about to make a bad joke “But I think I found a good solution” Davy pulled an empty shampoo bottle from behind his back and filled it with water.

Johnny started laughing while Jimmy watched helplessly. Davy easily dropped the flowers in the bottle and set it in the middle of the table. “I think it looks great” Johnny wrapped his arms back around Jimmy and put his chin on top of Jimmy’s head.

“Sure” Jimmy shrugged.

Davy walked forward and kissed Jimmy softly, he lingered and started talking against his lips “If it really bothers you we can find something else”

Jimmy considered the kitchen table briefly “I like it”

Davy cheered while his boyfriends laughed “I am a home decorator”

\--------

Wayne isn’t exactly sure what brings him back to the nice little flower shop on fourth street, sure his (feeble) excuse is that he wants to get something to brighten up his apartment, but in reality something about Nick intrigued him. He stepped through the threshold of the one story building and scanned the room.

He was the only person in the showroom which was a bit weird, until he heard a crash come from the back room and realized that the person who was working must be grabbing something “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be with you in a minute!” 

Wayne shrugs and sit on the stool that is randomly sitting in front of the counter after wiping it off with a wipe he keeps in his pocket for this exact reason. He can wait. It’s not like his purchase is urgent, it’s flowers he really doesn’t need.

Nick comes stumbling out of the back room covered in potting soil a second later “Sorry I’ve just learned that my idiot friend doesn’t actually know how to install a shelf”

“That’s okay”

Nick froze and turned around quickly “You’re back”

Wayne took the sharp tone the wrong way and looked sheepish “I can leave if your busy”

“No what do you need” Nick leaned against the counter “Is there another dance recital?”

Wayne was oddly touched that Nick remembered why he bought flowers “I was wondering if you maybe wanted to get coffee” Well shit, that isn’t what he meant to say. Nick’s mouth dropped open and Wayne hurried to back track “As friends I mean”

“Oh” Was that disappointment? Nick’s face went neutral “I’d love that”

“Tomorrow?” Wayne asked. What was he doing?

“Yeah, that sounds great” Nick smiled “I can give you my phone number”

“Yes! Yes” Wayne handed Nick his phone nervously.  _ Take that Jimmy. _ Wayne decided that he should probably leave before he says something stupid. When Nick handed back the phone Wayne said his goodbye quickly before running out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy, Johnny and Davy are that one couple that are just always touching in some way, they love hand holding and cheesy stuff like that. Please leave Kudos and comments! That will probably make me write this faster. Come talk to me on tumblr @musicals-musicals!


	6. The Carnations are Back!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grocery shopping is not an exciting way to spend a Friday night, until you run into the guy you have a crush on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse for how late this is other than high school is shit

Grocery shopping is not the most exciting way to spend a Friday night. As it is Nick found himself wandering around Target at 8:30 on a Friday. His basket was nearing the top and he was starting to consider whether a cart would’ve been a smart idea. 

Nick was walking towards the checkout when he stopped at the flower section. The store was having some kind of deal and they had all colors of carnations, not as nice as the ones he stocked, but still nice. His eyes drifted over the flowers.  _ Yellow Carnation,  _ _ disdain, rejection, and disappointment. _ Yeah, that’s about right.

Nick reached out and stroked the petals on one of the red Carnations.  _ Any kind of love you can think of, used to show you adore someone. _ Nick picked up the flower to get a closer look at it.

“Nick?” The voice came from somewhere to his left and Nick dropped the flower before spinning around. The voice belonged to Wayne.

“Oh, hi Wayne” Nick really hoped he was not blushing because that would probably be embarrassing.

“Hey” Wayne stood awkwardly before leaning down to pick up the dropped carnation “Didn’t have enough of these at home?”

Nick was starting to feel like a deer in headlights, so he forced himself to respond with a slight laugh “Yeah,” He nodded a little and ignored the part of his brain that insisted that running in the opposite direction was a good idea.

“Carnations” Wayne read off the shelf “Huh, Emily likes to talk about there being some kind of flower language, I wonder what these mean?"

“Who knows?” It seemed weird to mention that he had been looking at a flower that means love. Nick tried to think of something to say “So what brings you out shopping on a Friday night? No big plans?”

“Never” Wayne shook his head “Just here for something to do”

“That’s nice” They trailed off into awkward silence, and Nick could practically hear Donny and Julia in his head telling him to make some kind of move. It was the perfect time, they were relatively alone, as very few people go shopping on a friday night, Nick wasn’t at work so there wouldn’t be any distracting customers. “What are you-”

“Do you maybe want-”

They both stopped talking and looked at each other. “You first” Wayne offered

“Well if you’re free tonight I am currently buying a frozen pizza and we could have some kind of date, with a movie? Maybe?” Nick asked. It isn’t the smoothest asking out, but Nick’s out of practice.

“Yes!” Wayne looked very surprised “I was actually hoping to ask you”

“Okay, I’ll go pay”

\-----

As Nick drove he was starting to regret the fact that he didn’t think this through as much as he should’ve. Was his apartment clean? He usually didn’t get it very messy and he just did dishes. What kind of date was this? Looking back it seems stupid to invite someone to your apartment. Was it going to matter that his bedroom was a mess? Hopefully not. Was he going to be murdered? He glanced in the rearview mirror where Wayne was following him. Probably not. That might be overreacting.

He parked in front of his apartment building and waited until Wayne drove up and got out. “So,”

“Upstairs?” Nick gestured to the door and Wayne nodded. “This is weird right? Or is it just me?”

Wayne laughed and a knot in Nick’s stomach loosened “No, it’s weird”

“Good” Nick held the door open for Wayne before following behind. Nick scrambled for something they could talk about on the way up “So you play trombone?”

“Yes,” Wayne smiled “I’ve been playing since high school, and now I pick up gigs whenever I can”

“I actually play trumpet, but I couldn’t get a job other than teacher” Nick explained

“You don’t seem like a very patient teacher” Wayne smiled and there was a teasing note in his eyes.

“I am not” Nick unlocked the door to his apartment “So I only play at home because I have trouble getting gigs that don’t conflict with the shop”

“Are you there full time?” Wayne asked

“Yeah, I’m basically my only employee. I have a couple of part timers, but they’re all college and high school students. And sometimes my friend Julia fills in if I have a serious conflict” Nick was thankful for all his friends, but especially Julia. He owed her so much that could never be paid back..

“That sounds stressful” Wayne took the glass of water Nick offered him.

“It keeps me busy” Nick shrugged. It was nice to have a consistent job that distracted him from thoughts of the war.

“Do you have any favorite customers?” Wayne asked curiously

Nick had to think for a second before he could answer “I’ve never really thought about it. There are a couple of nice regulars, and every once in a while someone I know stops by” Nick thought for a second “Actually Johnny was in the store about a week ago, I hear Jimmy recommended me to you?”

“Yeah, we were roommates for years and we’re still good friends” Wayne smiled “I’m not exactly sure what the deal is with him, Johnny, and Davy, but they all seem happy”

Nick couldn’t help but analyze the way Wayne talked about his friends. He seemed to really love them. Nick thought back to when Johnny was in the store “Johnny seemed happy, and you know “boyfriends” plural was specifically said. Reminds me of my friends, Julia, Donny, and Michael. They’re about as close as you can get, lots of PDA and super sweet”

A ringing sound started and Wayne fumbled for his phone. When he picked it up Nick could hear a woman’s voice “Wayne the kids want to see you, is there anyway you can stop by to say good night to them”

“They’re still awake?” Wayne asked. It must be his ex-wife.

“It’s been a long night”

“I’ll be there in twenty” Wayne put down his phone and smiled apologetically at Nick “I need to go”

“I heard, go ahead” Nick wouldn’t keep Wayne from his kids, from what he knew Wayne didn’t get a lot of chances to see them.

“Here uh- I’ll give you my phone number?” Wayne offered.

“I’d like that” They traded phones to give each other their phone numbers  “See you later”

“Yeah, thanks Nick!” Nick watched Wayne leave with a smile. For the fist time his apartment didn’t feel that empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I get target isn't really a thing outside the the midwest/minnesota but I don't care.  
> Sorry this took so long. I wrote like half a chapter and then realized that I wanted to put something in between so this is mostly filler. As usual I love all of you who are reading this! please leave kudos and comments because then I might actually finish the next chapter after a reasonable span of time. Lastly [@musicals-musicals](https://musicals-musicals.tumblr.com/) on tumblr come check it out and reblog the post I'm about to make for this, or just come chat with me.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comment and leave kudos if you want the next chapter sooner because that is a sure-fire way to get me to write faster. Also on tumblr @musicals-musicals


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